A Blank Slate Regression for the Idol That Lost His Original Mindset - Chapter 395
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Regression Guide for Idols Who Lost Their Original Intent Episode 395
“What? That we do sports betting? Or that sports betting is legal?”
I tried to brush it off with lies for now, but the person in front of us wasn’t Kim Dobin but Ryu Jaehee. There was no way he’d fall for such tricks.
Ryu Jaehee let out a deflated laugh and reached his hand toward me.
“That thing, right? I know well enough that the hyungs aren’t interested in that kind of stuff.”
When Ryu Jaehee’s finger lightly tapped the phone screen a couple times, it lit up and the lock screen appeared.
With damn perfect timing, a Joonggonara chat notification popped up at the top of the screen.
“I’m talking about what Ryu Jaekyung did.”
With those words that were like a confirmation kill and the Joonggonara chat notification revealed before our eyes, I gave up on my half-hearted acting. Should I be happy that Ryu Jaehee doesn’t have to misunderstand us as hyungs who do sports betting?
Seo Yehyeon, who had been frozen stiff, belatedly snapped to his senses and asked carefully.
“When did you find out…?”
“When we were driving to the new dorm. Just in case, I browsed through Joonggonara in the car and saw it.”
He found out before we did. To think all the effort we’d put in until now was actually all in vain.
I had heard from Kim Dobin that Ryu Jaehee was being careless, so I had let my guard down too, but thinking about it, Ryu Jaehee was the master of monitoring among the five of us.
“So you’ve just been pretending not to know this whole time? My goodness, you should have said something. How were you planning to handle that all by yourself?”
“How could I show it on such a good day?”
Ryu Jaehee shook his head and replied to Seo Yehyeon’s lament-like words that were tinged with pity and sympathy.
A bitter smile flashed across Ryu Jaehee’s face for just a moment.
“When the hyungs were desperately trying not to hurt my feelings because it was a good day, I could see it all.”
Fine, he knew.
The sight of our youngest who had matured too early left a bitter taste in my mouth. At times like this, I wished he would just lean on someone, if not me, then at least the other hyungs.
Were we that unreliable to depend on? Hmm, looking back at the past, we were pretty dependable hyungs though?
I don’t know if it’s been self-glorified in my head, or if it’s been downgraded in Ryu Jaehee’s head.
Ryu Jaehee looked at our extremely troubled expressions in turn, scratched his cheek, and blurted out.
“And, I’m okay.”
I was interpreting it as empty words meant to comfort us, but Ryu Jaehee’s very next words made me certain they weren’t empty words.
“Of course I felt terrible when I discovered it on Joonggonara… but seeing the hyungs put on all kinds of shows to keep me from seeing that phone made me feel a bit better.”
“Jaehee, when did we ever put on a show? Do the hyungs’ desperate efforts look like a show to you? Huh?”
“Whoa, was it that obvious? Yoon Eden, don’t show off your old-fashioned instincts even here.”
Seo Yehyeon was shocked as he nudged my grumbling side with his elbow.
“To be precise, you all acted so obviously that even that oblivious Doby hyung noticed something was strange, but you guys thought you had fooled everyone and looked so proud of yourselves – it was both funny and touching?”
Shit, Kim Dobin noticed too? Kim Dobin’s gotten much better at reading situations. There’s no way we got caught because we acted awkwardly.
We were pretty natural, I thought.
I felt a little relieved to hear that Ryu Jaehee didn’t continue to suffer even after he found out.
Right, our hard work wasn’t completely in vain.
“Ah, but Hajun hyung was really natural even in the midst of all that. I guess not just anyone can act.”
See, we got caught because our comparison was Gyeon Hajun. We definitely didn’t get caught because we’re bad at acting.
“What about us…? Weren’t we natural?”
“The hyungs had the sentence ‘We know too’ written clearly on your faces.”
Our Jaehee is really quick to notice things. He even caught onto something like that.
“Then did you also buy my gift?”
When I asked while thinking of my gift that had sold first, Ryu Jaehee’s expression immediately darkened.
“…No.”
Hmm, this guy’s mouth was running wild. Seo Yehyeon, who poked my ribs again with his elbow, continued asking.
“Are the rest in the middle of transactions?”
Ryu Jaehee’s expression darkened to the point where I wondered if it could get any darker. I raised my elbow and lightly hit Seo Yehyeon’s ribs.
“I was going to ask a friend to do it because I was worried Ryu Jaekyung might notice if I did it myself since he knows my ID… but I didn’t have any friends I could confidently entrust this to. I wasn’t sure that everyone wouldn’t spread this around…”
Ryu Jaehee trailed off, but that wasn’t what was important right now.
“Then the one currently in transaction isn’t him!”
“Youngest! Wait! The hyungs will definitely get this back for you! Hey, Yoon Eden! First throw out bait saying you’ll add 30,000 won and raise it to 50!”
Since we’re in the same group as a community of shared fate, there was no chance we’d spread rumors, making us optimal for gift recovery.
[How about we make a deal]>
[I’ve really been looking for this continuously]>
[I’ll add 30,000 won more]>
<[Ah there are many people inquiring right now;;]
[How about 50?]>
<[Wait a moment]
As expected, Ryu Jaehee’s younger sibling immediately took the bait.
I approached Ryu Jaehee, who was looking at us with a confused face, unable to gauge whether he should stop us or let us retrieve the gifts, and casually placed my arm on his shoulder.
“Even though I’m terrible at acting and comforting, I can definitely fix your brother’s bad habits.”
<[Are you really going to add 50,000 won more to buy it?]
A new message arrived in the chat window. A message that somehow felt excited and urgent. I patted Ryu Jaehee’s shoulder, which flinched, a couple times and added.
“Of course, only if you want it, Jaehee.”
Ryu Jaehee, who read the newly arrived message with a complicated expression, muttered dryly.
“…When I saw the post uploaded on Joonggonara, I had this thought. If I had been a hyung like Eden Hyung, could Jaekyung have done this?”
Could he have done this? Far from pulling such a bold stunt, he couldn’t even breathe properly in front of me.
Well, still, from what Ryu Jaehee was saying, it seemed he didn’t think of me as just a soft hyung.
“I wondered if it was my fault for not being able to pay attention to my younger siblings from some point due to trainee life, for being unable to be strict and just being lenient because I felt sorry for being the first to escape from that house alone…”
“Your youngest brother grew up well. It’s just that your first brother has bad potential, so don’t bother looking for reasons within yourself.”
Ryu Jaehee finally buried his face in his palms. He seemed to be trying to hold back in his own way, but his body shook intermittently with the sound of swallowing tears.
I swallowed a sigh inwardly and sat next to him, patting his back.
After a moment, Ryu Jaehee, who had barely calmed down, looked back at me with a tear-stained face, hesitated, then slowly nodded.
I smiled crookedly and instructed Seo Yehyeon.
“Hyung-nim, please request a direct transaction.”
Feel it to your bones today why you shouldn’t sell stolen goods.
* * *
“Ryu Jae, your jjajangmyeon is all soggy.”
As soon as he returned alone to the dining table, leaving the two hyungs in the room who were intensely chatting with their younger brother, Ryu Jaehee burst into laughter with reddened eyes at Kim Dobin’s words pointing to his jjajangmyeon bowl.
Thanks to sitting next to him in the van, Kim Dobin was the first to notice Ryu Jaehee’s shock and had been the greatest help in allowing Ryu Jaehee to act nonchalant in front of the hyungs.
If it hadn’t been for Kim Dobin making a bigger fuss beside him and preventing Ryu Jaehee’s emotional labor, he surely would have ruined the atmosphere from the very day they moved into the new dorm because of himself alone.
“I’ll have to throw it away, what else can I do.”
“I’ll definitely tell Yehyeon Hyung. I’m sure Yehyeon Hyung will praise you tons and say you did well, right?”
Ryu Jaehee giggled softly at Kim Dobin’s cheekiness.
“Eden finished eating, and Yehyeon Hyung said he won’t eat anymore?”
“Should I go ask?”
“No, let’s just clear everything except Yehyeon Hyung’s seafood rice bowl for now. Youngest Member, you should rest a bit.”
At Gyeon Hajun’s gentle consideration, Ryu Jaehee barely swallowed the tears that were trying to emerge again and shook his head.
“No, I should help clear the dishes too.”
Isn’t this exactly the ideal family I had hoped for, rather than my original family that shows no consideration for me?
Ryu Jaehee had such thoughts as he helped Gyeon Hajun gather the empty bowls together.
* * *
“I set the prices ridiculously low so they’d sell today, and these suckers are raising the prices themselves and even doing direct trades in front of my house.”
Ryu Jaekyung giggled as he carefully stacked the items for sale in boxes he had prepared in advance. Watching such Ryu Jaekyung, Ryu Jaeseon, who had been restless, timidly tried to dissuade his middle brother.
“Hyung, what are you going to do if Eldest Brother finds out… Those are gifts Eldest Brother received from fans.”
Ryu Jaekyung, who was checking the items in the two boxes once more in case he had mixed anything up, snorted.
“What’s he going to do if hyung finds out. I’ll just say I accidentally threw them away while cleaning the house. Hyung was just keeping them stored away anyway. He’ll receive gifts from fans every year. Can’t he spare a few for his younger brother?”
The problem is that hyung is trying to sell them secondhand. Ryu Jaeseon forcibly swallowed the words that had risen to his throat. There was no point in saying anything since his middle brother wouldn’t stop anyway. He’d probably just get kicked for talking back.
“Hey. If you snitch to hyung that I sold them secondhand, I’ll really kill you.”
At the threats pouring out along with fierce glares, Ryu Jaeseon kept his mouth tightly shut and nodded.
Although he felt sorry for his eldest brother, Ryu Jaeseon was more afraid of his middle brother who lived in the same house and hit him at the drop of a hat.
Ryu Jaeseon desperately hoped that the people who bought those items would be fans of his eldest brother who would recognize the gifts he had given, so that Ryu Jaekyung would come back with his hair completely pulled out.
‘No, but then wouldn’t Eldest Brother also get dragged into the criticism? If that happens, should I post an explanation online?’
While Ryu Jaeseon was having thoughts very much like Ryu Jaehee’s younger brother, Ryu Jaekyung finished packaging the items with direct trades scheduled first, grinning broadly. He had already sent the first sold item via convenience store package delivery long ago.
Thinking of the money that would soon fill his pockets, the smile never left his face. He had been particularly strapped for cash since his hyung had drastically cut his allowance.
Who told him to cut the allowance anyway, Ryu Jaekyung blamed Ryu Jaehee for his own rotten behavior. Of course, it was a fact he refused to acknowledge, but Ryu Jaekyung would have done the same thing even if Ryu Jaehee hadn’t cut his allowance.
Finally, when it was time for the direct trade, Ryu Jaekyung left the house with his boxes, imagining all sorts of happy things he could do with the money coming in today.
Unaware that a situation far worse than Ryu Jaeseon’s imagination was waiting for him.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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